I have found a great new hobby and entered the world of hand made pottery. This blog is to show my work from the beginning. I hope to make a piece a day, hence, Pottery 365.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Today, finally up to date

I have no clue how much clay I should be using to make my pottery so today I decided to weigh the clay before getting started. I cut a piece off my declining hunk of clay that measured 1 pound 4 ounces. I wanted to make a simple mug using a technique known as the broom stick method.

As I said before, the pieces I am making seem to be taking on forms other that what I planned. I discovered that I did not need such a large amount of clay for a simple, small, footed mug. I made the piece correctly as I had read, but the top was way too heavy for the stem and there was no way to get it properly supported without risk of breakage.

I decided to trim off the foot area and make a simple bowl. When I saw the disconnected foot though, I decided it would make a perfect top...this is what today's pot looks like now. I think I might save this one for my next pit firing.

I like the way this piece turned out. I used an ash glaze that runs down the sides. I wish the camera could show you how cool this one actually turned out.